SIC Bullet 14 V1 vs. V2

[Area 10]

Has anyone out there ridden both the V1 and V2 production Bullet 14s?

I think I know what to expect in terms of DW performance. But how do they compare in terms of stability and flat water speed?

Is the V2 fast enough in flat water to be close in speed to some displacement nose raceboards?

I have a Bullet V1 and I'm trying to work out if it's worth getting a V2 as well. I won't have any chance to demo.

[Chilly]

I can only say that in slick flat water or any headwind, the displacement nose is significantly faster. It’s a tough choice to decide to upgrade to a V2. The fact that Mark tweaks his designs for speed, I would bet that the V2 is faster. If money is not an issue, an upgrade to a V3 would be an easier decision.

[raf]

The bullet 12-6, which the v2 is based off of, goes surprisingly well into wind chop.  No real chatter.  The nose shape is more subtle and complex than on the older 2012/2013 14s.

[supLaz]

The bullet 12-6, which the v2 is based off of, goes surprisingly well into wind chop.  No real chatter.  The nose shape is more subtle and complex than on the older 2012/2013 14s.

Can I your comment so understand that the Bullet 12'6" 2013/14 the  most mature and balanced board is?

[raf]

Sorry Laz, but I don't understand your question    And if its nice enough tomorrow morning I will hop on our V2 before work and be able to give 1st hand impressions!  We sold one 2 days ago but no feedback yet.

[supLaz]

Sorry Laz, but I don't understand your question    And if its nice enough tomorrow morning I will hop on our V2 before work and be able to give 1st hand impressions!  We sold one 2 days ago but no feedback yet.

 Raf, sorry my bad english, my Google translator sucks again.
 I read in your comment that the 12'6" Bullet shape is a better shot than the 14', ist that right?

[raf]

The new for 2014 Bullet V2 is based directly off the 2013 12-6 model.  Its simply a stretched out version.  So they are basically the same shape, just different lengths. 

They are better in the sense that they will work better in a much wider variety of conditions; light downwind, headwind, flat water.  The older Bullet 14' is probably better in short period, extreme downwind conditions.

I am attaching a couple of pics, one to illustrate the substantial difference in rocker between the old Bullet 14 (white) and the new V2 (black).  The X14 and the F-14 are below the black V2.  The other pic is a close up of the nose, which has some of the water-shedding characteristics of the Starboard Allstar, and nose shape of the Naish Glide. 

 *my downwind experience is very limited and I am certainly not an expert. 

**I'm also no expert on posting pics   click on them and they will flip rightside up.  No idea why they show upside down. 

[Muskoka SUP]

 . That's a cool pic trick Raf!

That's a good picture of the V1/V2 nose rocker...not a huge difference, except the thickness...which makes sense given the volumes.  It looks like it's been fine tuned.

[headmount]

Wished I had used my V3 14 for this race last weekend.  Pulling 21lbs would have been easier than the 35lbs on my 17.  The flat rocker is great for smaller glides and the wind the wind lightens up here, that's the best you can get... small glides.  Without strong wind, only glassy residual glides were left over on the last half of the course and they were catchable but at a severe cost of effort.  When the wind slows around here it's hot and muggy beyond belief.

On the other hand the balance on the 14 in sloppy water becomes more of a chore.  We often refer to light wind conditions as flat water but out here in the middle of the Pacific it's almost never is truly flat.

[MaineSUP]

Raf, should be pretty nice "flatwater" conditions tomorrow.  Wish I could tag along and see the V2 in the water but I can't get out.

I bet the V2 will set a course record for the Cushing Island series with good glide for sheltered water plus stable in the side swells and backsplash of open ocean part of race.

[spookini]

Raf, if I come visit your shop, can you give me a Zoner discount on those cool anti-gravity t-shirts you're selling??   

[Area 10]

Thanks very much for the excellent pics, raf. This is exactly what I wanted to see.

In contrast to Muskoka SUP, my take on the pics is that the V1 and V2 boards are very different indeed. The rocker looks more like the F14 than the V1 Bullet, and the nose looks like a hybrid flatwater/planing shape. Is that a fair assessment?

The other thing about this thread is that there are references to a V3 Bullet, What is that, and what is it like? Outside the US we only get to see or hear about the current production models made at the Cobra factory, so this is news to me. Is it going to be the 2015 production Bullet?

There is this video of the V3 below, but it doesn't actually show much detail of the board, and the double-bladed paddles kept distracting me. The V3 looks very narrow and even flatter than the V2 maybe? Would it be a handful, unless you are very skilled, in very disorganised and rippy short period chop?

Does anyone know how the stability of the V1 and V2 Bullet 14s compare in messy chop and sidewinds?

[Chilly]

The other thing about this thread is that there are references to a V3 Bullet, What is that, and what is it like? Outside the US we only get to see or hear about the current production models made at the Cobra factory, so this is news to me. Is it going to be the 2015 production Bullet?

The V3 is narrower, hollow, and built in Hawaii. Besides be narrower it's probably has other subtle changes.  http://www.sicmaui.com/custom-orders

[Area 10]

The other thing about this thread is that there are references to a V3 Bullet, What is that, and what is it like? Outside the US we only get to see or hear about the current production models made at the Cobra factory, so this is news to me. Is it going to be the 2015 production Bullet?

The V3 is narrower, hollow, and built in Hawaii. Besides be narrower it's probably has other subtle changes.  http://www.sicmaui.com/custom-orders

Thanks Chilly. I'm not really interested in anything that's narrower. Or that is hollow. And if it's made in Hawaii it would cost a fortune to ship and probably arrive broken. So I think that crosses a V3 off my shopping list!

I'm surprised not to have heard more from people about the performance of the production 14ft V2. It looks an interesting design.

[raf]

Ok, so I just got back from an hour paddle on the V2.  Conditions were very flat, almost no wind.  4.2 miles.  Like a genius I left my watch at home, so I don't have any info on speed.  I know better than to say it felt fast.  What it did feel is very comfortable.  It has very good glide.  I'm 168 lbs and I could get all but the front 8 inches touching the water.  Thats important, as anytime I have a bunch of board sticking out of the water, it messes with me psychologically and I feel like I'm not going as fast as I could be (which is true).   I'd guess the board will work up to about 200lbs.  Tracks very well, better than a 12-6 Falcon.  The fin is small, but perfectly adequate.  Going into boat wakes, it reacts exactly as the 12-6 version does...the nose cuts and buries lightly, and comes back up effortlessly.  No boof and no slap. 

This will make an excellent long distance paddler.  Could definitely zone out and log many miles.  Perfect CCBC board if you don't mind waiting every 20 minutes for everyone to catch up.  Once I get it out in some wind I will repost my impressions.